


Comfort

by penguinpatrolerarmy



Series: The Mark and Mazz AU [2]
Category: Pump Up the Volume (1990)
Genre: Autism, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Selective Muteness, Sensory Overload, also this fandom is probably the only one i regularly and intentionally write fluffy things about, me once again self projecting, this isn't meant to be read as romantic but if you see it that way then i'm not gonna deny you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-08-27 04:52:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16695802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinpatrolerarmy/pseuds/penguinpatrolerarmy
Summary: Sometimes, Mark just needs help calming down.(Rewrite of a story posted on Tumblr)





	Comfort

Mark rested his head against Mazz's shoulder, eyes shut and trying to just focus on the fact that someone was next to him. He didn't always feel the rest of the world around him suddenly becoming to much for him to handle. But, when he did, it hit him hard. Voices would become more obnoxious, everything would feel just a bit to bright, his nerves would become hyper-aware of every single piece of clothing on his body...  
  
Mark accidentally inhaled a little too sharply. God, just thinking about it made him start to fucking spiral. He opened his eyes slightly, not enough for the sunlight to hurt them but enough to see. He noticed Mazz's arm laying idly near the ground. Mark raised his hand a little, Shakily bringing it over. Mazz must've noticed, because he brought his own up to meet him halfway. It threw Mark off for a second, but he continued. He held Mazz's hand For a moment, then started rubbing circles into it... Just letting his smooth fingers contrast to Mazz's slightly callous palm.  
  
After a few minutes, Mark found himself easing his tension and leaning more into Mazz. He saw Mazz's other hand raise slightly, then stop... Like he were asking permission. Mark just nodded into his shoulder. That arm disappeared from his vision. Though, he could feel it wrapped around him, keeping him secured. Mark's lips upturned into a faint smile. He let out a soft hum. He wanted to actually say something, but he knew it wouldn't work out. The light pain in his throat reminded him that any attempts at speaking would just end in more stress for him. That being said, he knew he'd be fine without it. He and Mazz had their own ways of communicating when this happened, and so far it hadn't failed them. 

Mark wasn't sure if Mazz completely understood why he had these occasional overload episodes. He had explained what Autism actually was to him as best as he could, but it wasn't something he was really used to doing. Not to mention there were still things that he himself wasn't certain about. However Mazz, contrary to most people he had encountered, was very patient and tried his best to be understanding. He was always willing to help him calm down, usually staying by his side like this. And if Mark felt like he just needed to be alone, Mazz was usually a few yards away making sure no one came too close. He never really asked him to, and said that he didn't have to if he didn't want to. But, Mazz apparently did want to... And Mark did feel grateful for that.  
  
Mark took a few breaths, letting his thoughts halt themselves. Then, he tapped Mazz's knee twice. This was a gesture well known in their usual lingo. Specifically, it meant Mark felt up for handling sound again and that Mazz could talk if he wanted to.  
  
"Where you at right now?" He asked, keeping his voice at a low volume.  
  
Mark paused a moment. Then proceeded to answer with 7 taps. 7 wasn't normally a good thing on his stress scale, but considering he was well past 10 not too long ago it at least meant they were making improvement.  
  
"Okay," Mazz whispered, "You want me to talk about nonsense or something?"  
  
Mark shrugged.  
  
"Not sure? Okay... You wanna lay down? You've been hunched over like that for a while."  
  
Mark nodded. His back was starting to strain a little from the weird position, so lying down sounded nice. He and Mazz shifted, their bodies now lazily resting on the ground. Mark found himself somewhat on top of his friend, his head resting just barely on his chest. They're hands were still lightly grasping each other.  
  
"Better?" Mazz questioned. Mark nodded, fidgeting with his free hand for a moment. Eventually, he brought it up to Mazz's head, letting his bleached hair run through his fingers. Mazz didn't seem to mind this, but then again he never did. Mark once again shut his eyes, keeping focus on Mazz's presence and letting it bring him some well needed comfort. He wasn't sure how long they'd be like this for... Maybe until he was at about a 5... maybe longer. He'd miss class but he had a feeling no one would really notice.

Whatever was going to happen though, Mark felt at least some assurance that things would turn out okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this story cause I got put into a bad funk and needed to get myself back into my groove. I liked it very much but felt I could make a few minor improvements since I wrote it in a very short span without much editing. 
> 
> If you wish to view the original, Here is a link:
> 
> http://penguinpatrolerarmy.tumblr.com/post/179281763494/comfort


End file.
